Search Goose is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) being utilized for the purpose of redirecting web users to several kinds of unusual pages relating to fraud, phishing, and malware sites.Online users browser applications could end up on web sites they do not commonly visit, including online gambling sites, adult oriented pages, survey sites, and similar. It all happened because Search Goose was developed to initiate a traffic referral scheme where its authors get paid for each visit.
If you wonder how Search Goose was able to obtain access to the computer on its own, it has several sneaky methods to get in even without authorization. One of the most commonly used techniques to distribute Search Goose is by incorporating it into freeware, which is technically called “bundling“. The free software is then hosted on several file-downloading sites while using deceptive context to charm web users and sway them to download and install the free software. Unknown to user, the setup process would include Search Goose so it gets onboard easily and discreetly. Its sudden presence on internet browser application is the main reason why computer users supposed the scenario as virus infection.
In theory, Search Goose is not a computer virus. Computer security analysts prefer to place it under the category of PUP. In the first place, Search Goose is not contagious. After its successful installation on the browser, Search Goose remains as internet program extension but acts dominantly in taking over the browser functions. It assigns Searchgoose.com as the default homepage, new tab, and search engine. Thus, Searchgoose.com processes the online searches and so far, it does not look good. Before it reveals the actual search outcome, it redirects to several questionable servers that seem suspicious.
Search Goose may also cause browsing distraction due to the excessive display of advertisem*nts that overlay the view of web users. Layers, pop-up ads, and push notifications would show up on the screen. Unfortunately, some of these ads may lead the browser to harmful sites that were designed to automatically download malware on the visitor’s computer. Therefore, we suggest removal of Search Goose at once. For full instructions, please see the next segment. Also included are virus and malware scanners to help find and delete concealed harmful objects associated to Search Goose hijacker.
Search Goose Removal Procedure
Below is a systematic instruction that is very useful in getting rid of the potentially unwanted program (PUP) from compromised Windows computer. Aside from removing the malicious browser extension, this guide is also helpful in deleting internet hijacker and pop-ups.
In order to totally eliminate the threat, it is vital to follow the process in exact manner.
Remove Search Goose from the PC by executing the steps below.
- 1. Run a Combo Cleaner scanner.
- 2. Uninstall Search Goose from Windows.
- 3. Remove Search Goose browser extensions.
- 4. Scan the PC for adware using AdwCleaner.
- 5. Run the final scan using Sophos Home Antivirus.
- 6. Fixing the Homepage and Search Engine.
Step 1 : Scan the PC with Combo Cleaner
Combo Cleaner is a trusted computer security and optimization tool equipped with a powerful virus and malware detection engine. Thisprogram can get rid of browser hijacker like Search Goose through this procedure.
1. Download the application from the following page:
Download Combo Cleaner
2. Save the file to your preferred location.
3. Double-click the downloaded file CCSetup.exe and install with the default settings.
4. At the end of the setup process, click Finish to run Combo Cleaner.
5. The tool will update the database file; please wait for this process to complete.
6. To begin checking for threats like Search Goose, click on the Start Scan button. Wait for this scan to finish.
7. At the end of the scan process, click on Remove all threats to delete Search Goose, including all harmful objects from the computer.
To fully optimize the features of antivirus and privacy scanners, users may have to upgrade to the premium version.
Please continue with the succeeding removal procedures if you are comfortable manually getting rid of the browser hijacker and malicious items linked to it.
Step 2 : Uninstall Search Goose from Windows
1. On your keyboard, pressWindows Key + R. Type the appwiz.cpl command and click OK.
2. The Program and Features window will open. Arrange the list in a chronological manner, with recently installed applications on top. To do this, click on the 'Installed On' column.
3. Select Search Goose or a recently installed suspicious entry from the list.
4. Click on Uninstall to remove it from the Windows system.
Step 3 : Delete Search Goose Browser Extension
Most adware and unwanted programs use an application called a "browser extension" to be able to take over the settings of internet applications. Therefore, we highly recommend checking and removing the extension that is closely related toSearch Goose. If it is not present, look for and delete any suspicious browser extension.
Google Chrome
Remove Search Goose extension from Google Chrome
1. Open the Google Chrome browser.
2. Input the strings below in the address bar and press Enter on the keyboard:
chrome://extensions
3. Look for Search Goose or a relevant entry and remove it from Google Chrome.
Microsoft Edge
RemoveSearch Goose from Microsoft Windows and Edge Browser
1. On your keyboard, pressWindows Key + R. Type the appwiz.cpl command and click OK.
2. The Program and Features window will open. Arrange the list in a chronological manner, with recently installed applications on top. To do this, click on the 'Installed On' column.
3. Select Search Goose or a recently installed suspicious entry from the list.
4. Click on Uninstall to remove it from the Windows system.
IfSearch Goose is still present on the browser and unwanted homepage and pop-ups persist, another option is to remove the hijacker from the browser settings.
5. Open the Microsoft Edge program.
6. Input the following string in the address bar and press Enter on the keyboard:
edge://extensions/
7. Look for and Remove or Disable entries forSearch Goose from the Installed Extensions area.
8. You may now close the window and restart the Microsoft Edge browser.
Mozilla Firefox
Uninstallthe Search Goose extension from Mozilla Firefox
1. Open the Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. Type or copy and paste the strings below in the address bar and press Enter on the keyboard:
about:addons
3. Click on Extensions from the sidebar menu.
4. Look for an entry that pertains to Search Goose and Disable or Remove it from the browser using the options button.
Opera
Remove Search Goose extension from the Opera Browser
1. Open the Opera internet browser program.
2. In the address bar, type or copy and paste the text below. Press Enter on your keyboard.
opera://extensions
3. Find the malicious extension and then, click on Remove button to delete it from the Opera browser.
Step 4 : Scan with AdwCleaner and Reset Chrome Policies
In addition to the procedure, we suggest scanning the computer with AdwCleaner tool. Possibly, there are some traces of Search Goose on the browser that were not deleted during the preceding steps. This tool will scan the computer and check for presence of malicious applications.
1. Follow the link below to download the tool called AdwCleaner.
Download AdwCleaner
2. When the download has completed, please close all running programs on the computer, especially browsers affected by Search Goose.
3. Browse the location of the downloaded file anddouble-clickonadwcleaner.exeto start running the tool.
4. If Windows displays a prompt saying, "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?" click Yes to proceed.
5. On the AdwCleaner dashboard, click on Settings.
6. While in the Settings window, please turn On the Reset Chrome Policies and Reset IE Policies.
7. Go back to the Dashboard and click the Scan Now button.
8. AdwCleaner searches the computer for malicious programs, extensions, plug-ins, adware, and any items that may be associated with Search Goose.
9. CleanorRemoveall suspicious and harmful items identified after the thorough scan.
10. AdwCleaner will then prompt an option to run another repair, which will reset Winsock and other settings. Please click the Run Basic Repair button.
11. A message will appear stating that "All processes will be closed..." Please click Continue.
12. After the cleanup procedure, rebooting the computer is required to finalize the removal of Search Goose as well as other detected threats.
Step 5 : Run the Final Scan Using Sophos Home Antivirus.
To remove Search Goose automatically, scanning the computer with this powerful virus and malware removal tool is recommended. This scanner does not just uncover known threats like viruses or malware; it is also effective in discovering browser hijacker like Search Goose.
1. Please click on the link below to download the program.
Download Sophos Home
2. After downloading, locate the file SophosInstall.exe in the Downloads folder.
3. Install by double-clicking on the file.
4. If it prompts "Do you want to allow this app to make changes on your device?" please click Yes.
5. Next, it will display the Terms and Conditions page. Click the Install button to begin.
6. Run the installation with the default settings. Please note that an internetconnection is required in order to download important updates.
7. After finishing the installation, you must login to the dashboard. If you already have a Sophos account, please login. Otherwise, please enter your details and click on the Create Account button.
8. Once you are in the Sophos Home console, click the Scan button to start checking the computer for Search Goose components.
9. Scanning may take a while; please wait for this process to finish.
10. After scanning the computer, Sophos Home will start cleaning or deleting files infected with Search Goose.
11. You may now close Sophos Home. The computer is now free from Search Goose, as well as associated malware and viruses.
The above procedures should have totally eliminated Search Goose browser hijacker. However, if you find that there are still remnants of the malware, please proceed to the next steps below.
Step 6 : Fixing the Homepage and Search Engine
Google Chrome
Remove Search Goose from the homepage and search of Chrome
1. Open the Google Chrome browser. Type or copy and paste the following on the address bar. Then, press Enter on the keyboard:
chrome://settings
2. Go to the left sidebar and click On Startup.
3. Select "Open a specific page or set of pages" in the right panel.
4. Locate the unwanted Homepage URL, click on More Actions icon (3-dot), and select Remove or Edit.
5. If you choose Edit, enter the desired web address as your home page, replacing Search Goose. Click Save.
6. To set the default search engine, go to the left sidebar, and this time, select Search Engine.
7. Click on the Manage search engines and site search button in the right panel.
8. Find the unwanted Search Engine in the list. Click on More Actions icon, and then click Delete.
9. Go back to the left side bar and click Search Engine.
10. In the right panel, choose a valid entry from the "Search engine used in the address bar."
You can now restart the Google Chrome browser to see if the unwanted homepage and search engine related to Search Goose are gone.
Microsoft Edge
Get rid of Search Goose from the homepage of Edge Browser
1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser on your computer.
2. In the address bar, type or copy and paste the string below, then press Enter on the keyboard:
edge://settings/startHomeNTP
3. Go to the "When Edge Starts" area. Under the "Open these pages" section, click More Actions (3-dot).
4. Select Edit to open the Edit Page window.
5. Input your desired address to replace the homepage settings of Search Goose.
6. Click the Save button. You may now restart Microsoft Edge browser.
Mozilla Firefox
Delete Search Goose from the homepage and search of Firefox.
1. Open the Mozilla Firefox browser on your computer.
2. Type or copy and paste the following on the address bar, then press Enter on the keyboard:
about:preferences
3. Click Home in the sidebar area.
4. Under "Homepage and new windows", you may choose Firefox Home (Default) or Custom URLs.
5. If you chose Custom URLs, input the desired URL to replace Search Goose settings.
6. To configure the default search engine, select Search in the left sidebar to display the settings.
7. Under the "Default Search Engine" list, please select a legitimate one (i.e., Google).
8. Scroll down to "Search Shortcuts" and select an unwanted search engine.
9. Click on the Remove button to delete the unwanted search engine. You may now restart the Mozilla Firefox browser.
Opera
Remove Search Goose from Opera's homepage and search.
1. In the address bar of Opera browser, type or copy and paste the text below. Press Enter on your keyboard.
opera://settings/searchEngines
2. Scroll down to the "Search Engine" section and find your desired name (i.e. Google Search)
3. Click on the ellipses icon (3-dot) and select Make Default.
4. In the same section, click the ellipses icon of the unwanted search engine and select Delete to remove the malicious search engine from the Opera browser.
5. Go back to the Basic section and scroll down to the "On Startup" section.
6. Find the unwanted homepage address, click its ellipses icon (3-dot), and choose between Remove or Edit.
7. If you choose Edit, enter the desired web address as your homepage, replacing Search Goose. Click Save.
